Street Corner, Two AM
by StormWolf10
Summary: 'All that was written on the scrap of paper, in the Doctor's hurried scrawl, was the cryptic message "Corner of St Mary's Road. 2am. Meet me there."'


**A/N: Rambling, rambling romance.. read and review :)**

Rose frowned, staring at the piece of paper in her hand. She'd read the note several times, but still couldn't understand it. All that was written on the scrap of paper, in the Doctor's hurried scrawl, was the cryptic message "Corner of St Mary's Road. 2am. Meet me there." Confused, Rose had tried to call the Doctor, but he hadn't answered his mobile, and Pete and Jackie didn't seem to know anything about the note. Still frowning, Rose set the note down and reached for her mobile again. She sighed when her phone call to the Doctor went to voice mail.

"Hi, Doctor. I got your note, but I really don't understand it. Can you call me back when you get this message?"

Rose hung up, dropping the phone to her bed before crossing to her desk and switching her laptop on. They'd been back in the parallel world for almost a month, but both she and the Doctor were still living at the Tyler Mansion, in separate rooms after the Doctor announced he wanted to do things 'properly'. Rose had tried to protest at first, but the Doctor had been adamant, and Rose had grown tired of arguing with him. Her phone suddenly beeped, and Rose lunged for it. As she looked at the illuminated screen, she saw it was a text from the Doctor. When she opened it, it simply read 'Do as the note says. Wear something comfortable.' Rose sighed and turned back to her laptop.

**~StormWolf10~ **

Rose wrapped her arms slightly tighter around herself, shivering slightly. It was nearing 2am, and she was on the corner of St Mary's Road, as the note had said, but she couldn't see the Doctor anywhere. Every now and then, a few drunk people stumbled past, and Rose would step back slightly. It was a sight she was used to, having grown up on the Powell Estate, and her Torchwood training meant she could easily defend herself if any of them felt like trying to take advantage of her. With a sigh, Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket. There were no texts, no missed calls, nothing from the Doctor. The time now read 2am, and Rose glanced up and down the street for any signs of the Doctor. Nothing. So she decided to wait a while. He'd never been good with timing, her Doctor, even as a Time Lord. Rose was just toying with the idea of ringing him when a taxi pulled up.

"I've got a cab for Rose Tyler?" the cabbie told her, leaning over the passenger seat to talk to her.

Rose's eyes narrowed suspiciously, unsure whether to trust the man. After all, she hadn't phoned for a cab, and she could never be too careful as both a highly-respected Torchwood agent and the Vitex heiress.

"I didn't order a cab." Rose told the man calmly.

"Well, someone booked a cab for you." The cabbie told her in frustration "A John Noble."

Rose blinked at that. John Noble was the name the Doctor had taken when Pete had sorted out all his legal documents for him. Of course, everyone still called him the Doctor, but they couldn't have a birth certificate with that on it. Rose opened her mouth to speak when her phone beeped, signalling a text. Hurriedly pulling her phone from her pocket, she saw it was from the Doctor. All it said was 'Get in the taxi. Trust me. X'. Still confused, Rose reached for the taxi door.

"Ah," a familiar voice said, although it sounded downtrodden "this your taxi, then?"

Rose looked round in confusion to see the Doctor stood there, breathing slightly heavy as he'd evidently been running. He was dressed in his trusty burgundy converses, burgundy t-shirt and black jeans, his hair just as messy as usual. Rose frowned in confusion, but before Rose could question him, the Doctor merely blinked and gestured for her to get in the taxi.

"Mind if we share?" he asked.

"No." Rose replied honestly, still confused.

With a grin, the Doctor slid into the back of the taxi and gave the cabbie the address of the Tyler Mansion.

"Doctor," Rose began in confusion "what's going on?"

"I said I wanted to do things properly." The Doctor replied calmly.

"Dragging me out to London at 2am in the morning, ordering me a cab and then pretending you don't know me isn't 'doing things properly'." Rose told him, brow furrowed.

"On the contrary," the Doctor told her "many couples meet on street corners at 2am. They end up running for the last cab, and decide to share. When one of them arrives home, they exchange phone numbers, and end up calling each other. They meet up at a pub, or something, and end up dating. That dating becomes a family, and, well…"

The Doctor trailed off at Rose's shocked expression.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked quietly, wide-eyed.

Rose shook her head, still slightly stunned.

"No. No, you didn't do anything wrong." She assured him quietly "Just… You did all this because you wanted to date me?"

"Well, yeah," the Doctor admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why didn't you just ask me?" Rose asked, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Well, like I said. I wanted to do it properly. I wanted us to have the whole thing, the whole meeting when we both go for the same cab at 2am… the whole perfect story to tell our kids."

"Our kids?" Rose echoed, raising her eyebrow.

"If you want kids, of course," the Doctor hastened quickly, wide-eyed again "I mean, we don't have to have kids…"

"Maybe we should just concentrate on this whole 'proper date' thing right now, Doctor." Rose told him with a smile.

The Doctor's face fell momentarily, before he quickly forced a smile.

"That wasn't a 'no', Doctor." Rose added gently, still smiling.

The Doctor brightened up again at that, his manic grin back.

"However," Rose continued "I still don't get why you picked a street corner at 2am when you've been living in my Mum and Dad's house for almost a month."

The Doctor shrugged awkwardly.

"I wanted things to be perfect. I want to date you, I want you to tease me and tell me that you do nothing more than kiss on a first date, I… I want to hear you say that you've fallen for me."

His voice was quiet, unsure, and it only made Rose smile more.

"My Doctor," she told him softly, tugging him closer and kissing him gently "I fell for you long, long ago."

**~StormWolf10~**

When they reached the Tyler Mansion, the Doctor happily payed the cabbie and they headed to the house.

"Thanks for walking me home." Rose joked with a grin as she fumbled for her keys.

"Oh, no problem," the Doctor answered, also grinning, hands thrust in his pockets.

As Rose unlocked the door, the Doctor watched her, leaning against the wall.

"So," he continued with a cheeky grin "do I get a kiss?"

"Ah, well, I must warn you that that's all you'll be getting. And no tongue." Rose told him, playing along as she leant up to kiss him.

Their lips had barely touched when the door was suddenly flung open, revealing an irate Jackie wrapped in a dressing gown.

"And where have you two been?" she demanded, arms folded across her chest.

Both the Doctor and Rose merely blinked, in shock.

"Oh, never mind, just get inside!" Jackie told them with a sigh, tugging them into the house "Now, off to bed with the pair of you!"

Still slightly shocked, Rose and the Doctor began making their way upstairs. As they headed down a hallway, the Doctor glanced behind him to make sure they were out of Jackie's sight. Certain they were, he playfully bumped Rose with his hip.

"So," he asked quietly, tugging her close as he whispered in her ear "your room or mine?"


End file.
